‘I Have a Dream’

MONDAY PUZZLE — This was a powerful one for me, and I am so glad I solved it. Today we are celebrating the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Agnes Davidson and Zhouqin Burnikel collaborated to make a lovely puzzle to honor him.

I don’t know a lot about Ms. Davidson, but this is her second puzzle in The New York Times. It’s possible that this was a true collaboration between Ms. Davidson and Ms. Burnikel, or perhaps Ms. Burnikel, the more experienced constructor, mentored Ms. Davidson on this one. If you have ever dreamed of trying your hand at constructing and you are on Facebook, join Erik Agard, Will Nediger and a ton of constructors in the Puzzle Collaboration Directory group, where aspiring constructors can meet more experienced hands who will work with them to learn the craft of puzzle making.

Today’s Theme

King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered from the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, was made as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, so it’s fitting that we solve a puzzle about that subject today.

Four theme entries that end in a synonym for the hint at 61A are packed into Ms. Davidson and Ms. Burnikel’s puzzle, and while it was relatively easy to figure out, it still left me with a lump in my throat. I was a baby when King was assassinated, but I still remember my mother crying when the news came out.

At 17A, for example, we have the phrase NEW RELEASE, and RELEASE is a synonym for the word FREE in the 61A revealer, FREE AT LAST.

An interesting historical side note: The last and only other time that FREE AT LAST was in a New York Times crossword was in 1989, when it was clued as “Spiritual celebrating liberty.”

Now you go set the others free.

Tricky Clues

29A: I wasn’t thinking about zodiac symbols when I read this clue, but LEO for “Lion in summer?” makes perfect sense.

42A: Wordplay alert! If you put the phrase TO GO together, it becomes the country of TOGO in West Africa.

Muller Monthly Music Meta Contest

The seventh annual Monthly Music Meta contest held by puzzle maker Pete Mullerbegins on Tuesday, January 16, with monthly puzzles released on the first Tuesday of each month. There are monthly prizes, and a grand prize for the winner of the hidden mega-meta puzzle.